A blog about home cooking interesting food, using ethical ingredients and living life in a hedonistic and ethical way all at once.

Saturday, 23 March 2013

Steak & Portobello Dinner with Blue Cheese

Quite often I wonder whether a dish is worth posting about, because it's so simple or quick to make, but I've been told that these can be some of the most helpful posts so I guess it is worth it after all!

So, last year I signed up for a meat box scheme*, which is a bit like a veg box scheme except... well there's the obvious difference. This is a big box full of excellent quality, organic, seasonal meat with the highest welfare standards and decent hanging time (where appropriate). Just like the veg, the cuts and type of meat you receive change with the seasons and supports farmers in selling all of an animal rather than focusing on just the most popular cuts. You can also choose to include offal and charcuterie, even pet mince for the cats. It's like having a proper butcher who also delivers to your door.

The meat arrives as a mixture of fresh and frozen, some of it you might need to eat that week but the majority of it is freezable. I'm finding it quite handy to have a little variety of cuts in my freezer, ready to use at just 24 hours notice (or 2 days for a large joint). Anyway, a delivery came last Friday with two juicy-looking rump steaks, hence this supper was born.

Preheat the oven to the hottest temperature it can do - about 220. Cut a small pile of potatoes into wedges (again, mine are bleu d'auvergny in the picture, hence the dark colour) and pop into a baking tray with a sprinkle of dried rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.

In another baking tray, lay out portobello mushrooms that have been brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a very small pinch of garlic granules, plus some halved cherry tomatoes with a sprinkle of thyme.

Put the potatoes in the oven first, for ten minutes or so, before adding the mushroom tray and turning the heat down to 180. Put a griddle on to heat, or a frying pan if you don't have one - don't put oil in it.

To prepare the steaks (in this case rump), make sure they are already at room temperature before you start, then rub them with oil, salt and fresh pepper. When the griddle is hot lay the steaks in and do not move them until the underside is cooked or they will stick!

Slice your favourite blue cheese and place on the plates, personally I love gorgonzola and roquefort. Turn the oven off but leave the vegetables in there while you remove the steaks to a board and give them five minutes to rest (don't be tempted to skip this bit or they will be tough). Then add the steak to the plates and arrange the crispy wedges, mushrooms and tomatoes in the remaining space, along with some token salad, in our case a little winter purslane. Nom.

* Here, in alphabetical order, are some organic meat boxes you might like to investigate. I can vouch from personal experience for the high quality of the meat from three out of the four. If anyone has genuine feedback about Riverford Farms, or any other organic meat box scheme, then I would be pleased to hear from you: